High resolution photos from the news conference and tour of the 9-1-1
Center are available from the Office of Public Affairs.

Steve Souder, director of the Fairfax County 9-1-1 Center, is
available for on-site or phone interviews (703-280-0528, TTY 711) about
today’s national event as well as National Public Safety
Telecommunications Week.

Fairfax County’s Board of Supervisors is scheduled to issue a
proclamation on Monday, April 9, proclaiming April 8-14, 2007, as Public
Safety Telecommunications Week in Fairfax County.

The Fairfax County Department of Public Safety Communications (9-1-1
Center) hosted a national news conference today announcing National
Public Safety Telecommunications Week, April 8-14, 2007.

The event was the first time the two leading national 9-1-1
organizations – the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials
(APCO) International and the National Emergency Number Association (NENA)
– have held a joint media event for National Public Safety
Telecommunications Week. Also participating in the event was the E9-1-1
Institute.

Fairfax County’s 9-1-1 Center was chosen for today’s national event
partly because several of its employees were recently honored with the
2007 Outstanding Call Taker/Dispatcher Honors Award from the E9-1-1
Institute at a ceremony on March 13 in Washington, D.C. The staff were
recognized for their quick and clear-headed actions on May 8, 2006, when
a young man opened fire in the parking lot of the Sully District Station,
mortally wounding Master Police Officer Michael Garbarino and killing
Detective Vicky Armel.

The Fairfax County DPSC is a nationally recognized public safety
communications center, one of the 50 largest in the United States and the
largest in Virginia. It is the agency responsible for receiving all 9-1-1
emergency calls in Fairfax County and dispatching units of the Fairfax
County Police Department and Fire and Rescue Department. DPSC received
and handled approximately 1.1 million calls in 2006. Highly trained
professional public safety communicators, the “1st of the First
Responders,” are the critical link that provides the county and
neighboring jurisdictions with technical and operational excellence in
processing and dispatching public safety resources. The center is one of
the few of its kind in Virginia that is accredited by the commonwealth of
Virginia to provide Emergency Medical Dispatch /Pre-Arrival Instruction
to assist in medical emergencies prior to the arrival of public safety
personnel.

For information about National Public Safety Telecommunications Week,
contact Courtney McCarron with APCO International at mccarronc@apco911.org or
202-833-9600.

For information about the county’s 9-1-1 Center or Public Safety
Telecommunications Week in Fairfax County, contact Steve Souder,
director, Fairfax County Department of Public Safety Communications, at
703-280-0528, TTY 711.

APCO International The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO)
International is the world’s oldest and largest professional organization
dedicated to the enhancement of public safety communications. APCO
International serves the professional needs of its 15,000 members
worldwide by creating a platform for setting professional standards,
addressing professional issues and providing education, products and
services for people who manage, operate, maintain and supply the
communications systems used by police, fire and emergency medical
dispatch agencies throughout the world. For more information, visit
www.apcointl.org.

NENA NENA is The Voice of 9-1-1™. Now celebrating its 25th year, NENA was
established to promote implementation and awareness of 9-1-1 as North
America’s universal emergency number. NENA has grown to become the
leading professional nonprofit organization dedicated solely to 9-1-1
emergency communications issues. NENA serves its more than 7,000 members
in 47 chapters across the U.S., Canada and Mexico through policy
advocacy, establishment of technical and operational standards,
certification programs and a broad spectrum of educational offerings.
Find out more at www.nena.org.

Fairfax County is committed to nondiscrimination on the basis of
disability in all county programs, services and activities. To request
this information in an alternate format, call the Office of Public
Affairs at 703-324-3187, TTY 711.